META

 

South Africans will soon say goodbye to ProNutro, the popular cereal brand that has been a staple in many households for generations.

PepsiCo has announced that it will discontinue ProNutro in South Africa after failing to reproduce the familiar taste and texture of the original product following a recent reformulation.

The decision comes several months after the company launched what it called New Generation ProNutro, which was introduced as an alternative designed to keep the brand available while maintaining its nutritional value and improving the environmental sustainability of its production.

However, the new version received criticism from some consumers, particularly regarding its taste, texture and how easily it mixed.

In a statement released on Wednesday, PepsiCo acknowledged the feedback, saying some customers felt that the reformulated product did not provide the ProNutro experience they had come to expect.

The company said it considered various ways of restoring the original product experience after receiving the complaints. However, its efforts to reproduce the original taste and texture were unsuccessful.

Following a detailed review, PepsiCo ultimately decided to end ProNutro production in South Africa.

The company thanked consumers for supporting the brand over many years and acknowledged ProNutro's longstanding place in South African households and family routines.

Reformulated recipe introduced earlier this year

The latest announcement follows the launch of the new ProNutro recipe in April.

At the time, PepsiCo said the updated cereal would retain the nutritional benefits associated with ProNutro while providing consumers with a different product experience.

The reformulated version was also marketed as more versatile, with the company encouraging consumers to enjoy it as a conventional cereal or incorporate it into a shake.

However, the changes led to complaints from some long-time customers who said the new version did not taste or feel like the original.

PepsiCo had previously said that changes to the recipe were partly prompted by ageing production infrastructure and inconsistent equipment performance. According to the company, processing changes were necessary to maintain the quality of the product.

Despite those efforts, PepsiCo has now confirmed that ProNutro will be discontinued in South Africa, bringing an end to a cereal brand that has been familiar to generations of South African consumers.

msn